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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Oh, wait, Darrell’s busy flogging the Benghazi dead horse, an enterprise that’s getting more hilarious as it goes along. Chris Mathews is having a field day hauling up Republicans and asking them, point blank, “What evidence do you have that the President was involved in “editing” those emails?”

No reply, just a cascade of talking points designed to cover over the fact that the answer is, “None.” So we have Issa and his cohorts gargling on about the “I” word and when cornered to offer any real evidence, they come up sputtering. They’re holding an investigation to find out if there’s anything that needs investigating that hasn’t already been investigated.

But, evidence is the last thing Issa’s interested in. He’s after face time with the TV camera. So he must be grinding his teeth over this. I mean, here he is, stuck with this rotting equine that’s getting nowhere, except with Faux News Fans, when, ka-blooey, out of the blue, here comes the Perfect Storm of a Scandal! A Right Wing Republican’s Wet Dream!

Yes, it’s the IRS “targeting” Conservatives! It’s the perfect fake talking point that combines several conservative bet noirs – The Evil Government, in the form of the agency that collects those Evil TAXES, and the conservatives’ most cherished, dark belief that the Evil Government IS coming for them in the black helicopters. A perfect conflation of their most cherished beliefs come true.
It will offer delicious opportunities to crank up the base, get lots of face time on TV decrying the organization that everyone loves to hate – the tax collector – and, most important, permanently deflect and cover up in a cascade of outrage, the REAL danger here.

It isn’t the IRS. The folks who screwed the pooch on this one will be booted out the door. What will be buried in the ballyhoo is the genuine threat to our democracy. It isn’t the IRS, it’s the Supreme Court ruling declaring money as speech as well as Citizens United.

Most of the public didn’t understand what that money-speech ruling meant. Karl Rove wasn’t one of those people. He knew and acted quickly to set up 501c4s, those fake non-profit PACs that declare themselves to be a “social welfare organization,” while, in reality, they’re a political action committee in disguise engaging in political activity under the thinnest veil of laughable deniability.

Steven Colbert also caught on really quick and formed his own PAC in order to satirize and illustrate just how corrupting this whole thing had become. In short, any crackpot political organization could now pretend to be a non-profit “social welfare organization,” apply to the IRS for a non-profit status and the IRS was charged with trying to follow a deliberately vague law defining “social welfare.”
I mean, can you imagine the rolled eyes in the Cleveland IRS offices when agents had to equate Meals on Wheels with Karl Rove’s clearly, blatantly political operation disguising itself as a “social welfare organization?” Like Karl was doing social welfare by handing out baloney sandwiches to the poor? But, God Bless them, the IRS closed their eyes to the obvious and did just that and Rove’s group is now on a non-profit par with Meals on Wheels. So are all kinds of “tea party” groups mushroomed prior to the election, all of which that galloped in right behind Karl. (And, need I add, fake left-wing groups as well, all equally phony?)

Laughable? Yes. And the laughability became so obvious, even to a corrupted Congress, that they felt they had to at least make this rot look good so they charged the IRS to closer scrutinize groups that simply didn’t pass the smell test, though the bar was already laughably low. And it has been reported (at this point) that almost all the fake 501s that were scrutinized were issued their non-profit status. That’s the kind of wink-nudge stuff a wholly owned Congress comes up with when money is speech and money talks.

While the result in this case will turn out to be a foot in mouth operation, its ultimate value to Corporate America is this: The perfect opportunity for Corporate America and their handmaidens to permanently shut down any and all inquiries into exactly how the IRS determines eligibility of these 401s, and exactly how the law is written to determine that status, and whether the definition of “social welfare” needs to be better clarified.

And it will stop any attempt by Congress to change the laws, to tighten up the rules, to force the fox to nail up the holes in the chicken coup. It will also shut down any attempt by Congress to take a closer look at how money-is-speech is playing out in the real world of politics, how corrupting these fake PACs are (on both sides of the political fence) on the body politic.
To Corporate America, this IRS bungle is a gift from heaven. And is bound to get great TV face time to whoever gets to chair the investigation committee.

Which is why poor old Darrel must really be miffed. He took the starring role in a Grade B movie and lost out on the chance to star in a blockbuster. Rats!

5 comments:

If the latest right-wing theatrics concerning OH MY Gazi has proven anything, it’s that Obama continues to be a weak, ineffectual foe against the orchestrated hate machine known as the Republican Party. I recently saw another interview with Chris Christie, and although I have nothing to do with his politics, I admire his kiss my ass toughness when it concerns stuff he believes in. If Obama had just a quarter of Christie’s brashness he wouldn’t be so easily pushed around and manipulated by the lunatics on the right. They’ve refined their faux outrage and hate-filled diatribes to an art form. In response, all we get from Obama is some sort of smug shaking of his head and wagging of his finger; clinging to some strange belief he can shame these scumbags or still “change the tone in Washington.” The guy is truly tone-deaf and incapable of fight. And the Repugs know it. They batter and ram and punch and kick and claw and spit with virtually no counter punch. For five years now.

Which is why Obama’s in for a long, long few weeks, or months, or years, quite probably paralyzing the rest of his time in office. The hate-machine smells blood in the water: Oh my Gazi. The IRS. The Justice Department phone records. And a President virtually incapable of fight and ignorant of a basic tenant of war: the best defense is a good offense.

"... all kinds of “tea party” groups mushroomed prior to the election, all of which that galloped in right behind Karl. (And, need I add, fake left-wing groups as well, all equally phony?)

Kinda makes us that are NOT setting up a fake 501(c)4, feel like suckers, yes?

Talk about EASY money.

I mean, going back to one of my posts, I could set up my one-man "Mothers for Children" scam 501(c)4, and then wink-nudge my way into informing all of those rich, WAY right-wing nut jobs that all I'm going to do with my scam "non"-profit, is bash "liberal" politicians like Lois Capps.

Rove would be SO proud:

"Lois Capps is making America unsafe for our children. Call Congresswoman Capps and demand that you want a SAFE America for our children. (This message paid for by Mothers for Children.)"

How much, and how fast, of the BIG BUCKS do you think I'd rake in with that biz plan? Too easy, and I voted for Capps.

And, getting back to Colbert, one of the things he did with the over $1 million he raised with his sham 501(c)4, was buy gold shoes for himself, because it was perfectly legal for him to do so.

Billy sez: "OH MY Gazhi!" I love it. This is really an amazing sideshow, which will keep everyone distracted. The real danger to so much of this poisonous partisan wrangling is when you cry wolf, when you blow every little bungle into something akin to WWIII, and it all turns out to be a variety of dead horses, the public soon realizes that you're full of crap and when a REAL problem comes up, nobody will pay attention to you. They'll just figure you're engaging in partisan grandstanding. In an era of "targeted killing," drones, terrorists plotting, "Homeland Security" violating constitutional rights, crying wolf is really a BAAAAAD idea.

Ron Sez. "Kinda makes us that are NOT setting up a fake 501(c)4, feel like suckers, yes?"

Yes, though I'm sure if you looked, you'd find these fake "social welfare" organizations being run by left and right. In this case, it seems that conservatives caught on to Rove's scheme much quicker than Dem's did so they got out of the starting gate sooner and in greater numbers. Now that this has blown up, two things will happen: 1) the public will demand new rules on these things that spell out what "social welfare" does or does not include, or 2) any attempt at clarification, reform or, most especially, enforcement of existing laws on the BIG PACS (i.e. Rove's CrossRoads GPS)will be stopped cold by cries of "you're picking on us!" so nothing will be done and the money can continue to roll in. All that unaccountable, unfettered corrupting nice money to further distort and destroy what we laughingly call "democracy."

Anon sez:"Please explain how the IRS can "target" any group?"

When you file for a non-profit status, (and there's various different categories) you have to do so under certain rules which spell out what you can and cannot do. If you do not comply, the IRS can audit your activities and if you're not in compliance, pull your 501,2,3c--whatever and demand you pay taxes on whatever you took in under false premises and/or prosecute you for violating tax exempt laws.

"I have to agree with Billy Dunne, this president is not a leader of this government!"

Re-read my post Anon 6:25. I never said Obama wasn't a "leader of this government." I said he was an ineffectual foe against the vermin on the right. Has nothing to do with his abilities. Has everything to do with fighting fire with fire, with conviction, and the willingness to roll in the mud with the conservative swine.

Calhouns Can(n)ons

About the Can(n)ons

Calhoun's Can(n)ons was originally published in 1990 in the (now defunct) Morro Bay, CA, Sun Bulletin, and since 1992 has continued in the various resurrections of the Los Osos, CA. Bay News, Bay Breeze, Bay News, Bay News-Tolosa Press. A few years ago, the Can(n)on was added to the Central Coast NewsMission blogsite. Ann Calhoun lives in Los Osos. You can email her at Churadogs at gmail dot com

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